Is the FAO part of the UN?

Yes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It leads international efforts to combat hunger, improve food security and promote sustainable agriculture. FAO is part of the wider UN system, but it has its own membership, governing bodies, leadership and budget. (FAO official website)

What does FAO stand for?

FAO stands for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Its goal is to help build a world where people have regular access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for healthy lives.

What does FAO do?

FAO works with governments and other partners to improve food and agricultural systems.

Its activities include:

Improving food security and nutrition.
Supporting sustainable agriculture and food production.
Strengthening rural livelihoods.
Promoting sustainable fisheries and forestry.
Helping countries address plant and animal diseases.
Supporting agricultural research, statistics and policy development.
Improving the resilience of food systems to climate change and crises.

FAO provides technical expertise, research, data and policy advice to support these objectives.

How is FAO connected to the UN?

FAO is one of the UN's specialized agencies. Specialized agencies are autonomous international organizations that cooperate with the United Nations through formal agreements.

This means FAO is not simply a department of the UN Secretariat. It has its own Director-General, governing structures and operational responsibilities while coordinating with other UN bodies.

Who leads FAO?

FAO is led by its Director-General, QU Dongyu, as of October 2026. He was first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023 for a second term.

The Director-General oversees FAO's operations and represents the organization in international work related to agriculture, food security and nutrition.

How many members does FAO have?

FAO's membership is commonly described as 194 members: 193 countries and the European Union. The EU participates as a Member Organization rather than as a sovereign country.

This is why the number of FAO members may be presented differently from the number of countries that are members.

Is FAO the same as the World Food Programme?

No. FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) are separate organizations within the UN system.

FAO focuses on food security, agriculture, agrifood systems and longer-term policy and technical support. WFP focuses strongly on food assistance and humanitarian responses to hunger and food crises. The two organizations also cooperate on shared challenges.

Conclusion

Yes, FAO is part of the United Nations system as a specialized agency. It works internationally to reduce hunger, improve food security and support sustainable agriculture, while maintaining its own governance and leadership arrangements.